Heat warning issued for parts of northern, eastern Taiwan

Taipei, Aug. 21 (CNA) More hot weather was forecast for Taiwan on Wednesday, with the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issuing heat warnings for areas north of Taoyuan in northern Taiwan and Hualien and Taitung counties in the east.

The agency issued an orange heat warning for Taipei, indicating it could see highs of 36 degrees Celsius for at least three consecutive days.

It also issued a yellow heat alert for New Taipei and Taoyuan cities as well as Hualien and Taitung counties, indicating a high of 36 degrees for a single day.

On Wednesday, cloudy to sunny skies are expected to return to areas around the island of Taiwan due to reduced moisture in the air, but rainfall could still be experienced on the outlying Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu islands, the CWA said.

There could also be brief thunderstorms in the Greater Taipei area, the eastern half of Taiwan and mountainous areas, it said, while the southwesterly winds are also likely to bring strong gusts to open coastal areas of Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Miaoli, and Changhua.

Also Wednesday, meteorologist Wu Der-rong (吳德榮) said a strengthening high pressure system in the Pacific Ocean has brought back a summer weather pattern to Taiwan that should last until Friday, bringing sunny and hot conditions to all parts of Taiwan.

The high pressure system is expected to weaken from Saturday to next Tuesday, Wu said, with moisture increasing and afternoon thundershowers forecast for parts of Taiwan during that period.